Via the EVG inbox tonight...
I had never encountered him before tonight. Yes, the guy who says "are you from around here" and then says his kids are in the car and he needs money ...
Had a run-in with him just now at East Sixth Street and Second Avenue, and didn't get to hear his whole pitch because as soon as he said his kids were in the car I just immediately said no. He didn't even push it — just spun abruptly on his heels and crossed Second Avenue.
I can't believe this guy is still working this neighborhood after all this time. It must be more lucrative for him than other nabes.
Previously on EV Grieve:
East Village grifter alert: Beware the broken vodka-bottle scam!
East Village grifter alert: Beware the man with the sob story who offers you a wedding ring as collateral
Snowy afternoon grifter alert
Reader report: 'my kids are in the car and I'm out of gas' scam guy back in action
yo he was a truther. I locked myself in the trunk of an NYPD car after the uglies took my bath salts, scale and tambourine. #justanothersunday #uppercaselife #thanksobama
ReplyDelete...did he/she report it to the precinct or cops on the beat? These people need to be stopped!
ReplyDeleteIf you fall for this guy's scam, you deserved it.
ReplyDeleteSomebody PLEASE take a picture of this guy...
ReplyDeleteCall 911 immediately after you encounter this guy.
ReplyDeleteBe polite and decline his shpiel then call the police.
Don't call the cops when he's with you because I heard he can be aggressive. So keep him in your sights and report anything and everything about your location and his identity.
How about dont be a sucker. You all are snitches so dont act surprised when people say you dont belong here
DeleteThere are a lot of new gullible people in the EV these days in case you haven't noticed.
ReplyDeleteIn the 90s there was a guy I'd encounter in the nighttime hours who said he was collecting for "babies with AIDS." Sounds funny now to me, too.
ReplyDeleteHe approached me about 2-3 weeks ago on 7th & 2nd Ave. He offered to give me his iphone for the night as collateral in exchange for $20. I declined.
ReplyDeleteI'm the one who encountered him last night--in retrospect, I should probably have stopped by the 9th precinct to report it, since it was so close by (and he brazenly operates right in that vicinity). I would hesitate to call 911, though--I feel that that should be reserved for true emergencies, which this clearly was not. Anyway, at the time, it caught me by surprise and I was tired and focused on getting home, so it just didn't occur to me to report it. If it happens again, I definitely will.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the main notable thing about his appearance last night is that he was wearing heavy-framed glasses, like vaguely hipster-esque, though I didn't really look at him for long. Not sure if he always wears glasses, but he definitely was last night.
don't be afraid to call 911-- you are in the midst of a crime occurring
ReplyDeleteThis happened to me about a month ago on Ave A and 3rd, but it was a woman who stopped me and told me the sob story. I kept saying no no no and she kept asking me how its possible I had nothing to spare for her kids, locked in her car. I could see her eyeing my earrings to watch to necklace and just bolted after that.
ReplyDelete